国际英语新闻：Chile to punish those responsible for mine accident

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chile says it will prosecute those responsible for the mine collapse that trapped 33 miners for more than two months before being freed Wednesday.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said Thursday that, although all the miners were saved, those responsible for the accident could not go unpunished.

Pinera said the mine accident was a big lesson for both the government and the public, and the government and judiciary would prosecute those responsible.

The government would soon promulgate new measures on labor safety, requiring such industries as mining, construction, transport, agriculture and fisheries to create conditions that ensured work safety, he said.

He also said the rescue operation had cost 10 million to 20 million U.S.dollars and two-thirds of the expense came from the Chilean government and the state-run companies.

Any companies failing to meet the safety standards would be ordered to stop their business operations, he said.

The San Jose gold and copper mine, located in the desert in northern Chile, collapsed on Aug. 5, trapping 33 miners some 700 meters underground.